


Sometimes, 1+1=3

by sophoklesworld



Category: Leverage
Genre: Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 22:33:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9145168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophoklesworld/pseuds/sophoklesworld
Summary: Parker thought of Hardison and her as a unit, inside their little family.Then, Eliot got hurt.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shadowcat221b](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcat221b/gifts).



> I finally managed to finish this work, which I started writing, apparently, almost one year ago.  
> Time flies by.
> 
> Enjoy reading and I wish all of you a Happy New Year!

Parker and Hardison had been a unit for a while, now.

Of course, the whole team was a unit. They were a family, Sophie had explained that to Parker.

But now, Hardison and her were a separate unit inside of their family. Not apart from the others, but somehow _more_.

Parker loved it. It was new, but it was just like jumping off a building, with her stomach coiling whenever something happened. She could curl around Hardison at night — when she didn’t sleep in the vents (because sometimes she needed the tight comfort of dark small spaces). Lately, she needed less and less comfort from the vents, and more from Hardison, when the adrenaline left her veins and the shock of a mission almost gone wrong wrapped tight around her heart. By now, she rather curled around Hardison, instead of around herself. Let herself be assured in the knowledge that he was still alive, that they both were still alive.

 

 

That was, until one night, Eliot got hurt. _Bad_. Parker had never felt so sick at the sight of blood.

 

They had to take him to the hospital. Parker knew it was bad, when he couldn’t even complain about it anymore. The nurses pulled Eliot’s bed away to surgery.

Parker’s hand was in Hardison’s while they waited. Parker thought, that maybe they had a competition going on about who had a tighter grip, but she didn’t mind the pain, it was an anchor. And from the looks of it, Hardison needed it too.

Hardison had to make a scene about how he was Eliot’s future husband, so the doctor’s would let them stay. Parker would’ve done it, but she was so scared and worried, she couldn’t say a word. So she let Hardison tell the people how Parker was Eliot’s sister, how Hardison was his fiancé.

Parker felt a warm spike in her chest, when Hardison called Eliot his boyfriend, but sister — that sounded wrong to her ears. They were close, Eliot and her, but there was something else to it. Something she couldn’t really identify. For the sake of staying at the hospital, she didn’t say anything, while the doctor and nurses were there, but she had to think about it. She wanted to think about it and forced her mind back to it, whenever her brain wandered off to the sickish sound of the knife embedding in Eliot’s body.

 

Sophie and Nate weren’t here with them, they had a job to do, and especially bad people — they _hurt Eliot —_ to catch, but they promised Nate to update him about everything that was happening.

  
After a while, a doctor talked to a nurse and then came their way. They scrambled up, both of them bombarding the poor man with questions.

He lifted his hands and waited for them to quieten down. It probably wasn’t the first time he had to talk to worried relatives. His voice was clear and soft.

"We stabilized him for now. He suffered heavy internal bleedings. The knife went straight into his liver. It cut off the main arteries and didn’t have enough oxygen supply for too long. It is damaged beyond repair. We need a donor liver." He let this sink in a moment. Parker gripped Hardison’s hand even harder as the blood drained from her face.

"Miss", the doctor said, "I understand you are Mr. Grey’s sister? Would you like us to test your blood? If you are a suitable donor, it would be a faster way to transplant yours than any other donor liver which would have to be found."

"Sure." Parker said, even though her mind screamed at her, that it wouldn’t help. Eliot wasn’t her brother. Her liver would be no good.

The doctor smiled at her.  
"Nurse Carey will take you to a room, then, and give you all the forms that need to be filled."

With that, he turned around, while Nurse Carey ushered her to a room.

Only when Parker was seated, she realized that Hardison was still there, still holding her hand.

The nurse came and went, brought forms which Hardison filled and took a sample of Parker’s blood.

Parker’s mind was blank. She didn’t even see the needle, which she later was grateful for, because she hated needles. Mindless, Parker stared on her and Hardison’s joined hands until another doctor filed in. Parker prepared for the words that would tell her she wasn’t a suitable donor, wouldn’t be able to help Eliot, wasn’t good enough. Bracing for impact, she tightened her grip on Hardison’s hand once again.

"Your blood type and most other values are matching, Ms. Grey. You are suitable to donate part of your liver to your brother. I will be responsible for the transplant."

Parker’s ears were ringing. The doctor might've told them his name, their chances that Eliot’s body would accept her liver, but she didn’t hear it. She just broke down in Hardison’s arms, feeling a million stones lighter.

 

* * *

 

 

With her head leant against Hardison’s shoulder, Parker wondered why and when she started caring about people. It involved so much pain. But they were worth it, Hardison and Eliot. And also Sophie and Nate.

She just didn’t know if she could handle this worry for much longer, and then ever again. She was scared about Eliot. She was scared of the surgery. She was scared of being alone in there, without Hardison.

"You know, in Alaska, in the cave", Parker started. Hardison looked up at her surprised. She hadn’t talked about the cave before, always evaded questions. "Eliot said that I would always do what’s necessary. That we — him and me — would always do what needed to be done, and it makes us us."

Her fingers curled in Hardison’s sleeve.

"I think this is one of these situations."

Hardison took her face in large warm hands, carefully. "Baby, you know Eliot believes in your bravery, right? I do, too. You’re brave and strong and independent. You don’t need anyone, and that’s just what makes you even braver, that you do this for him."  
"I think he’s more." Parker simply said. She needed to say it, now, before she would fave one of her greatest fears. Hardison looked at her, quizzically. She willed him to understand. Words weren’t her forte.

"He is?", Hardison asked, carefully.  
"Yes." Parker’s voice turned stubborn. She knew, she needed to elaborate. It was just so hard. So she used the simplest way possible. "He deserves pretzels, too."

Hardison kissed her forehead and pulled her into a hug. "Yeah, babe, he does. Let’s give him all the pretzels, alright?"

Parker just nodded into his neck, breathing him in for a little while longer before they would take her to surgery.

 

"I’ll be here, when you wake up." Behind Hardison, Sophie and Nate hurried along the corridor. He must have texted them. They hugged her, while the nurses already carted her towards the surgery wing, and then, suddenly, all of them were hid behind the doors.

 

* * *

 

When Parker came to, she felt drowsy and didn’t know where she was. The sheets felt rough and when she finally managed to open her eyes, the first thing she saw was Hardison looking down at her with a beautiful smile.

"Hey, Parker, how are you feelin’?"

"Like I forgot my gear when jumping off a building. What happened?" She didn’t feel like moving. Everything was heavy and hurt.  
"You gave Eliot part of your liver, babe, remember?" Hardison grinned and ran his hand lightly over her cheek. "That was really brave. You were like his knight in shining armor. The Kirk to his Spock, the Leia to his Han."

"How is he?", Parker asked.

Hardison looked to the other end of the room, his eyes alight and a small smile on his face. Parker followed his gaze. Eliot lay there, his face relaxed but his hands balled to loose fists. One part of him always had to be alert.

"He’ll pull through." Hardison put is hand on hers and squeezed lightly. "He always has."

 

Eliot wasn’t awake yet. But that was only a matter of time. Eliot wasn’t very receptive to any kind of sedative. That probably wouldn’t change because of a liver transplant.

 

Parker pulled herself up. Hardison caught her, held her back in the pillows. "Whoa, Parker! What are you doing? You just got cut out part of your liver, you can’t get up!"

Parker glared at him, trying to push his hands away. It was more difficult than she expected, with the sedative still clouding her mind and her limbs being out of commission.

"Nuh uh!" Hardison said. "Babe, please. You can’t get up yet. You’ll rip the stitches. And then they’ll  give you more drugs."  
Parker didn’t feel like talking a lot, but she didn’t stop glaring. She threw a meaningful look at Eliot, then back at Hardison.

"Really? You really making me do this?" Hardison continued his rant but had put on his fake anger voice, that spoke of fondness and was already pushing Parker’s bed closer, directly next to Eliot’s though, so she didn’t mind his babbling.

When she was lying right next to Eliot, Parker took his hand into hers and fell asleep immediately.

When she woke up again, her hand was still in Eliot’s and she had turned and lay on his arm now. Hardison was sitting on a chair Eliot’s other side, his hand holding Eliot’s other hand.

After a moment she realized, why she woke up.

Eliot was stirring. Then, suddenly, he grew stiff and tense. Like he was calculating, trying to gauche where he was, trying to find his way out of this place before letting his attackers know he was awake.

"Eliot", Parker managed to say, her throat dry and hoarse.

Hardison leaned over Eliot, his eyes full of hope. It did things to Parker’s organs. She reckoned they were still acting a little funny from surgery.

Her eyes flew back to Eliot’s face when she felt him relax the slightest bit.

He opened his eyes slowly, looking first at Hardison who smiled back at him and then turned his head to look at Parker with her head still pillowed on his arm.

"How are you feelin’, man?" Hardison asked in that voice that he only ever used for Parker before — soft and caring. Like he wouldn’t ever let anything happen to her. Parker had to admit, she liked that he used that voice for Eliot. He was family, but also _more_. He was part of their unit inside their family.

"I hate hospitals." Eliot said, his voice tired and was already trying to get up. Of course, he’d try to leave the hospital right after waking up from surgery.

It was a proof of how badly he got hurt, that he didn’t manage to evade Hardison who gently pressed him back into the pillows and Parker who tightly held onto him.

She still had her hand in his and squeezed it tightly, not planning to let go anytime soon.  
Eliot had woken up. He was alive. He was getting better — for now, if his stubborn body wouldn’t reject Parker’s liver.

Eliot looked at their joined hands on his stomach and squeezed back.

Hardison, following their gaze, covered their hands with his.

_More_. This unit, that simple one plus one. Sometimes, it added up to three. Because no matter how you looked at it, two people to take care of, two people to call home, two people to wake up to. They were a unit, and adding another were simply three.

For a second, they all smiled at each other. And then, Eliot’s face became as mask of determination and he tried to get up again, more forceful, this time.

Hardison pushed him back down, not as gently as before.  
It was Parker, though, who had enough.  
"Don’t you dare moving, Eliot!" Parker’s voice was full of anger and desperation. There were tears in her eyes. She felt like they were transported back into the cave, like she was ready to break, Eliot’s eyes on her, full of surprise and like he would do anything so she wouldn’t break.

She took a deep breath, stared him down and said, "I let myself be put on _drugs_! I hate medication and I let myself be put down like a wounded animal for you. They cut out a part of my liver. They put that part of my liver in you and you won’t fucking move until they say your body doesn’t reject it!"

Only now, Parker saw Eliot’s eyes wander over her hospital clothes and realize that she, too, was a patient. He looked at Hardison on his other side, incredulously. "Uh uh! Don’t look at me! I ain’t takin’ any sides, and if I did I’d take hers."

Eliot’s hand tightened around theirs. His voice was low and raspy but the message was heartfelt.

"Dammit, Hardison!"


End file.
